Pakistan has witnessed a sudden increase in killings in ‘encounters’ as a total of 925 suspects were killed in such shootouts and 160 personnel of police and Rangers fell in the line of duty during this year.The sudden spike was seen by many as ‘vengeance’ for the massacre of schoolchildren in the Peshawar school attack.According to official figures, 701 suspects were killed in ‘encounters’ with police and 224 were gunned down in shootouts with the paramilitary Rangers while 143 personnel of police and 17 of Rangers were killed in targeted attacks in the metropolis, said spokespersons for police and Rangers.According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan’s (HRCP) annual report for 2014, around 592 people were killed in alleged encounters with the police and Rangers. In 2013, which the HRCP termed to be Karachi’s deadliest year with 3,251 deaths, around 184 were killed in encounters.Though the problem may be particularly acute in the Sindh capital, encounters are also routine in Lahore and other Punjab districts, as are incidents of custodial deaths. One estimate suggests that in the Punjab capital alone, there have been over 100 encounters since December 2014, with both suspected criminals and militants being eliminated. There seems to be a feeling amongst some sections of the police hierarchy that encounters and similar extralegal methods are acceptable tools of law enforcement: they believe such methods send a ‘strong’ message to criminals and militants.However, killing a suspect without resorting to due process is a clear violation of that individual’s fundamental rights, and rightly condemned by civil society groups and political parties.Without doubt there are violent criminals and terrorists operating in our cities and towns, and these have become increasingly insecure for the common citizens. But the way to deal with such elements is through invoking the law, not by circumventing it.This creates a system open to massive abuse, without any regard whatsoever for the judicial process. Unless the police authorities engender a change of thinking within the ranks, such brutal methods will continue to remain in vogue.
pk.shafaqna.com
Killed in encounter: A system open to massive abuse
